Tire Test Results

Tires Tested

• What We Liked: The steering and ride quality are both satisfying for the daily drive, and it’s nice to drive in the snow.
• What We’d Improve: It’s a little loud compared to the competition here. Wet traction is just mid-pack.
• Conclusion: It straddles the line between "aggressive" and "mild" all-terrain.

• What We Liked: It’s civilized and nice to drive on the road and has good light snow traction.
• What We’d Improve: It needs a substantial improvement in wet traction.
• Conclusion: A nice A/T option if there’s no rain in the forecast.

• What We Liked: The wet grip feels stronger than we remember, and it’s still good in winter conditions.
• What We’d Improve: We would like some added refinement on the road.
• Conclusion: A great choice for many drivers.

• What We Liked: It does almost everything at a very high level.
• What We’d Improve: The light snow traction is good enough, but trails this group.
• Conclusion: It’s an excellent all-terrain option.

What We Learned on the Road

Our 6.0-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provides a great variety of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality and everyday handling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.

The Pinza AT swept our team’s on-road subjective evaluation, delivering a performance that was impressive for any tire with off-road intentions. The ride was nicely-cushioned over impacts, taking them in stride with less of a hit than the other tires in the test. With minimal tread noise, some slap over seams and other imperfections in the road was the only thing that stood out audibly. The steering was accurate and nicely weighted, and effort built throughout the range of input in a way that was pleasing for our drivers. The Wrangler Workhorse AT was a small step back from the Vredestein on the road, with a ride that was just a touch firmer and nicely composed. Noise quality was good overall. There was some minor cavity noise and distant tread growl over most surfaces, but neither was intrusive or distracting to the driver. The steering had some slight play around center, leading to a somewhat vague feeling when driving straight ahead at low speeds. Thankfully, it firmed up and became solid and responsive with more input or at highway speeds. On the road, the Discoverer Rugged Trek delivered a ride that was the least compliant in our test by a small, but noticeable, margin. While every impact was concise, bumps small and large were more apparent when driving the Cooper. Similarly, the noise created by the tires was a step louder and more distinctive than the rest of the group. The low drone of the pattern was accompanied by a higher-pitched cavity noise that intensified at highway speeds. It wasn’t overly loud, but it stood out in comparison to the other tires in the test. The steering and light handling were nice for an On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tire, earning the second-highest subjective score from our drivers. Pirelli’s Scorpion All Terrain Plus was between the Cooper and the Goodyear in terms of stiffness over impacts, yet it felt busier than both tires due some continual motion following large or repetitive bumps. Over the significant stretches of broken pavement on our route, the vehicle didn’t feel settled when driving on the Pirellis, which hurt its score with our team. In terms of tread noise, the tire was very quiet, but there was persistent tread slap over seams and expansion joints that stood out in contrast to the otherwise quiet experience. The steering feel was fast and light, without much resistance to inputs or urgent return to center.

What We Learned on the Test Track

Maximum handling on a dry track likely isn’t a performance target during the development of On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires, nor for the Ford F-150 4x4 used as a test vehicle. Because of this, our dry track testing consisted of 50-0mph braking and lateral traction around our skid pad.

All four tires in the group were very closely-spaced in our dry testing, resulting in what was as close to a four-way tie as anything in our recent memory. Technically, the Pinza AT led both metrics, but there was only a .02 G spread in lateral G-forces on the skid pad and only 2.4 feet difference between the shortest and longest average stopping distance from 50 mph.

Similar to in the dry, the manufacturers represented in our test likely didn’t focus on wet lap times for the tires in this group. Knowing that, our testing protocol involved our team driving our normal track route in a manner similar to someone driving assertively on the street, as opposed to trying to extract every last tenth of a second from their lap times. Objective figures for 50-0mph braking and lateral traction on the skid pad were also taken for all products.

Once again, the Pinza AT led the test in terms of objective capabilities and the subjective score from our team. We praised the tire for its front end traction at turn-in and mid-corner, in addition to the planted rear end when accelerating aggressively. It always felt like it had the traction to do what our drivers asked of it, and if the limits were exceeded, breakaway was gentle and recovery was quick and easy. The Scorpion All Terrain Plus was a very small step behind the Vredestein across the board, with the exception of a .05 G deficit on the wet skid pad, which is significant enough to notice on the road. Even so, the driving experience between the two felt very similar, but our drivers had to be slightly more conservative with all inputs when driving the Pirelli. The Discoverer Rugged Trek delivered a mid-pack performance, providing enough traction for our drivers to work with, which likely would translate to customer satisfaction on the road. Aside from requiring some care to keep the rear end from gradually breaking away, the Cooper didn’t stand out, instead communicating its capabilities and making it easy for our drivers to remain within that window. The Wrangler Workhorse AT was a significant step back from the rest of the group, requiring care and gentle inputs to avoid breaking traction. Braking distances were noticeably longer than the other tires, and even with careful pressure on the pedal, ABS engaged readily. This, combined with some relatively easy wheel spin and lateral movement at the rear axle, means drivers on the road are likely to notice the relatively lower levels of traction.

Driving in Winter Conditions

The four tires in our test are branded with the tire industry’s three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol, which indicates they are severe snow service-rated. The test a tire must pass to earn the 3PMSF symbol measures longitudinal acceleration traction in medium-packed snow, and we have repeatedly found significant variance in real-world traction from 3PMSF-branded tires. We always find it interesting to compare tires with the 3PMSF symbol because testing reveals a wide range of performance capabilities among 3PMSF-branded tires. Just because two tires are branded 3PMSF, that doesn’t guarantee a similar winter performance. The test required to earn the 3PMSF is a pass/fail test, so one tire may exceed the requirement significantly, while another just barely passes, but they both will have the same symbol on the sidewall. Additionally, the 3PMSF test measures longitudinal acceleration traction only, which means there is no braking or cornering component, and it doesn’t evaluate ice traction in any way.

Interestingly, the Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek earned the highest subjective score from our test drivers and set the fastest average lap time, but it also required the longest distance to accelerate from 0-12 mph and was only .2 feet shorter than the longest stop from 25 mph. Much like having the 3PMSF symbol doesn’t guarantee superior winter performance, there’s more to driving in the snow than just being able to start and stop. The Discoverer Rugged Trek had strong front-end traction and direct, responsive steering. The handling was surprisingly balanced, and the driver could gently and controllably rotate our Chevrolet Tahoe RWD test vehicle with ease. As a complete package, the Discoverer Rugged Trek was satisfying, capable, and easy to drive. The Scorpion All Terrain Plus led the test in acceleration and was second in braking, average lap times, and our drivers’ subjective score. The steering wasn’t quite as direct as the Cooper, but it was good, especially for an all-terrain tire on a Tahoe. There was some slightly unpredictable oversteer and understeer. Those traits resulted in some wasted motion and slightly hurt the tire’s lap times, but overall, it delivered a satisfying performance. Goodyear’s Wrangler Workhorse AT set the shortest 25-0 mph braking distance and was second in acceleration testing, but it was just mid-pack in average lap time and subjective scores. The reason for this was a noticeable imbalance between longitudinal and lateral traction. The steering was vague, and the acceleration traction would easily overpower the front-end grip, which resulted in frequent understeer. Its capabilities would likely satisfy drivers on the road during normal stop-and-go driving, though. With mid-pack braking and acceleration figures, the Pinza AT demonstrated it had comparable traction to the rest of the group, but its lap times trailed by a noticeable margin, and its subjective scores were a little behind the competition, as well. While ultimately it was capable, the steering didn’t communicate what the front tires were doing very well, which made it difficult to gauge the onset of understeer. Additionally, the rear tires would step out without too much warning, but it was easily corrected when it happened. Overall, our drivers found the tire a little difficult to drive with precision.

Our testing on the ice consisted of 12-0 mph braking, and here the Wrangler Workhorse AT led the way, coming to a stop in 51.1 feet. The Scorpion All Terrain Plus and Pinza AT were a few feet behind at 55.7 feet and 57.5 feet, respectively, and the Discoverer Rugged Trek rounded out the group with a 61.3-foot stopping distance.

Summary

In our group of on-road-focused On-/Off-Road All-Terrain tires, the Vredestein Pinza AT stands out above the rest during our warm-weather testing. With a composed, comfortable ride, low noise, and test-leading wet traction, it’s an impressive option when the weather is nice. It has strong traction in the snow, as well, but it can’t keep up with the competition here. The Pirelli Scorpion All-Terrain Plus is also a balanced, well-rounded offering. It is only a small step back from the leader in terms of wet traction, and with the exception of some tread slap over seams, it is very quiet on the road. Some continued motion following impacts feels a little coarse over our very harsh test route, but drivers in areas with smoother roads are likely to be very satisfied with the ride quality, as well. The Cooper Discoverer Rugged Trek seems to straddle the line between on- and off-road focused all-terrain tires, with a controlled, but stiff, ride and tread noise that is more noticeable than the other tires in the group. The steering feel is satisfying, and it delivers acceptable, balanced wet traction. Of this group, it also has the most usable, well-rounded capabilities in the snow. The Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse AT is refined and nice to drive on the road thanks to a relative lack of noise and comfort over impacts. Its longitudinal grip in the snow is test-leading, but wet traction is a weak spot, leaving our drivers wishing for something more to work with.